Attachment for digital control of portable device

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus are disclosed for securely holding a hand-held portable device in a single hand while minimizing the chance of dropping the hand-held device. The hand-held devices include but are not limited to cell phones, calculators, personal digital assistants, electronic tablets such as readers, I-phones™, small cameras, binoculars and other small hand-held equipment.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/702,308 filed Sep. 18, 2012, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all of its teachings.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an attachment to a small handheld device which has an opening through which to insert one or more fingers, of a single hand, and which helps to secure the device against falling from the grasp of the hand, and at the same time allows manipulation of buttons, keys and screen icons by use of the thumb.

BACKGROUND

Most individuals who own cellular phones have had the experience of dropping the phone. If lucky, the phone drops harmlessly to the floor, carpet or ground. If unlucky, the phone lands on a hard surface and breaks, or in the sink or toilet and becomes wet and ceases to function. There are also individuals who have limited or no use of one hand, and for which a secure grip on a portable, hand-held device would be particularly useful.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

A web search of “finger strap for cell phone” reveals a number of products on the market that can be added as attachments to the back of a portable hand-held electronic device to aid in holding the device and preventing it from slipping from the hand. Most consist of elastomeric bands affixed to the back of the phone through which the user inserts one or more fingers. The finger support allows the user to hold the phone in, and dial with the thumb of, one hand. The devices are affixed to the back of portable electronic devices via glue, pressure sensitive adhesive, loop and hook fasteners, often with the stipulation that the attachment can be removed without damage to the electronic device. This type of device is disclosed in one issued patent (U.S. Pat. No. 8,480,144) issued to Potter et al. and specifically applied to electronic tablets. The disclosed device has individual finger slots for four fingers and offers the specific claim that individual finger slots make the tablet easier to control and balance. References cited in that patent which describe similar attachments for portable, hand-held electronic devices include the following patent applications:

-   -   1. 20050205623 by Buntain—a piece of fabric glued to the back of         a portable electronic device with two parallel slits defining a         band (not glued) which can be raised and a finger inserted under         the band.     -   2. 20090219677 by Mori—which has a belt base attached to the         back of a portable electronic device followed by the subsequent         attachment of a belt     -   3. 20090283559 by Foggiato discloses a cord or strip of fabric         loosely held on the back or a portable electronic via fixation         points snaps, buckles, hook and loop etc at either end. The         suggested advantage is the ease of putting fingers under the         strap.     -   4. 20110266316 by Gahlib—which discloses a loop, ring, or         cylinder attached via a mounting pad onto the back of a portable         electronic device.

Other patent applications (which have not been issued yet) for gripping aids for hand-held electronic devices include:

-   -   5. 20120299318 by Murphy et al. which discloses a flexible or         elastomeric strip adhered to the back of a hand-held electronic         device via film adhesive or two sided tape.     -   6. 20120261930 by Bethea which discloses a hard back which         contains one or more rings mounted within the back that can be         rotated to be perpendicular to the back, providing rings through         which to insert fingers and grip the hand-held device.     -   7. 20060279098 by Shipley which affixes a loop to the back of a         hand held electronic device. Almost any attachment method is         described—hook and loop, adhesive, elastomeric band or hard         plastic clip.

This prior art generally suffers from one or more of several deficiencies:

-   -   1. It is heavy and/or cumbersome,     -   2. It protrudes too far from the surface of the hand held         electronic device,     -   3. It cannot lie flat in a plane with the device and so catches         on holsters or other cases when trying to insert it into its         case,     -   4. Difficulty in getting the fingers in the finger slots without         the use of both hands.     -   5. Some attachments with finger insert to hold the device are         hard plastic or metal rings rather than the soft plastic or         fabric flap with a hole in it. The hard plastic or metal ring is         less comfortable on the fingers when supporting the device

SUMMARY

It is the objective of the current invention to provide a secure, one-handed grip and use of hand-held electronic devices while eliminating the deficiencies 1-4 listed above. To meet this objective, the present invention is directed to an attachment device, comprising a generally planar attachment surface including two spaced and generally parallel slits therein. Each of the slits extends generally perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the attachment surface, and each of the slits also extends inwardly from an edge of the attachment surface so as to create a flap, which is integral with the attachment surface and pivotable about the longitudinal axis of the attachment surface. The flap includes one or more openings for receiving one or more of a user's fingers therein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a picture of a fabric (100) cut in the manner suitable for the attachment to the back of a portable, hand-held device such as a cell phone. The flap (101) is free to be raised from the back of the phone, so that one or more fingers of one hand can be inserted through the hole (102).

FIG. 2 shows the fabric of FIG. 1 glued or taped (103) to the back of a cell phone (104). The glue or tape (103) is placed between the fabric and cell phone in all areas of the fabric except for the loose flap (101) with its hole (102) for inserting the finger(s).

FIG. 3 shows a molded silicone cell phone back with a flap (105) containing a hole 102 for inserting one or more fingers.

FIG. 4 The molded silicone wraps tightly around the edge (106) of the cell phone to hold it in place on the back of the phone (107). Other holes may be molded into the back, or cut in the molded back for I/O connections such as charging (108), earphone (109), USB connection (110), or camera lens.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND DISCLOSED EMBODIMENTS

Although the most prevalent use of the disclosed invention is expected to be with cellular phones and personal data assistants, the invention should function equally well with calculators, small data tablets, small cameras and other hand held electronic or optical devices, and these application fall within the scope of this invention.

One preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a thin piece of durable fabric or flexible film cut in the manner shown in FIG. 1. It is cut in such a size to almost completely cover the back of a cell phone and is glued onto the cell phone with glue covering all the area except the flap 101. Various other small holes may be cut in the fabric to accommodate various I/O ports or camera lens. In a preferred embodiment, the flap is sufficiently flexible that it hangs away from the back surface of the device, when that device is held horizontally with the back facing down. This allows the user to easily insert his finger(s) through the hole using only one hand. The flexible fabric can fold flat onto the back of the device for storage in a holster or other protective case.

A second preferred embodiment comprises the flexible elastomeric backs that stretch sufficiently to fit securely over the edges of the device. Such backs are most often made of silicone rubber, but other materials such as thermoplastic elastomers, polyurathanes, and other soft, slip resistant materials. Cutting the backing in the manner shown in FIG. 3 allows for one to lift the flap and insert the finger(s) using a single hand. After use, the flap easily folds back into the cut opening, flush with the molded back for insertion into a holster or other protective case. The device of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 4, attached to a cell phone.

It is also recognized that some cell phone cases are made of leather or synthetic leather. Such cases could have the slits and hole could be cut in these materials to create the geometry of FIG. 3.

Any of the gripping aids could be imprinted with a design or advertising to make them useful in promoting commerce.

Various Embodiments/Examples

-   -   1. A piece of fabric cut in the shape of FIG. 1 is attached to         the back of a cell phone with double sided tape. The hole is         large enough for one or two fingers to be inserted. When so         inserted the fingers hold the phone in a convenient orientation         for dialing or texting with the thumb of the grasping hand or         the fingers of the other hand with little or no danger of the         phone slipping out of the hand. The hole is in an unglued flap         of the fabric which can stand out from the back of the phone         when in use and fold flat to phone back for inserting the phone         in a holster attached to a belt or in a protective case. The         fabric is flexible enough that the flap falls somewhat away from         the phone when the fabric is on the lower surface, thus enabling         easy insertion of the finger(s).     -   2. A silicone injection molded backing for a particular brand         and model of cell phone was purchased and cut as shown in         FIG. 3. It was then placed on the phone for which it was         designed (FIG. 4). The flap cut in the backing was easily raised         from the surface of the phone and the fingers easily inserted         through the hole in the flap, without the use of two hands, to         allow a firm grasp and freedom for dialing and texting with the         thumb of the gripping hand, or fingers of the other hand with         little or no danger of the phone slipping out of the hand. The         flap lies flat within the thickness of the molded back when not         in use, which makes it easy to insert the phone in a holster         attached to a belt or in a protective case.     -   3. Although the backing shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 were cut by hand,         it will be well understood to those skilled in the art that the         device could be made by die cutting the molded back or by         molding the cutouts into the back during manufacturing (rather         than in a secondary operation). It will also be understood that         the molded flap could be slightly curved away from the phone         back and make the insertion of fingers easier to accomplish.         This could be accomplished without sacrificing the ability of         the flap to flatten flush with the elastomeric back so that it         will not interfere with insertion of the phone into its holster         or protective case.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented to illustrate the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention to the particular embodiments illustrated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by all of the embodiments encompassed within the following claims and their equivalents. 

We claim:
 1. A device for securing a portable hand-held device to a user's hand, comprising: a generally planar attachment surface for securing the device to the portable hand-held device, said attachment surface including at least two spaced and generally parallel slits therein, each of said slits extending generally perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of said attachment surface, said attachment surface further including an opening positioned between said slits.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the said parallel slits extend inwardly from an edge of said attachment surface forming a flap.
 3. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a third slit, said a third slit connecting ends of said the parallel slits so as to form a generally “U”-shaped flap
 4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one additional opening positioned between said slits so that there is a plurality of openings positioned between said slits.
 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said attachment surface is made from a fabric.
 6. The device according to claim 5, wherein said fabric is a coated fabric.
 7. The device according to claim 5, further comprising a means for securing said attachment surface to the portable hand-held device.
 8. The device according to claim 7, wherein said means for securing said attachment surface to the portable hand-held device are selected from the group consisting of glue, tape, and VELCRO®.
 9. The device according to claim 1, wherein said attachment surface is part of a case for receiving the portable hand-held device therein.
 10. The device according to claim 9, wherein said case is made from a molded material, fabric, leather, or faux leather.
 11. A device for securing a portable hand-held device to a user's hand, comprising: a generally planar attachment surface for securing the device to the portable hand-held device, a flap pivotally mounted to said attachment surface so that said flap pivots relative to said attachment surface about a longitudinal axis of said attachment surface; and an opening located on said flap.
 12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising at least one additional opening located on said flap so that there is a plurality of openings located on said flap.
 13. The device according to claim 11, wherein said attachment surface is made from a fabric, leather or faux leather.
 14. The device according to claim 13, wherein said fabric is a coated fabric.
 15. The device according to claim 13, further comprising a means for securing said attachment surface to the portable hand held device.
 16. The device according to claim 15, wherein said means for securing said attachment surface to the portable hand-held device are selected from the group consisting of glue, tape, and VELCRO®.
 17. The device according to claim 11, wherein said attachment surface is part of a case for receiving the portable device therein.
 18. The device according to claim 17, wherein said case is made from a molded material.
 19. The device according to claim 11, wherein said flap is integrally formed with said attachment surface. 